Which to use
“scher” and “schwor” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,007
- “scher” frequency rank
- #40,200
- “schwor” frequency rank
- 76207
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scher | schwor |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwören |
Where the eye mixes scher and schwor
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. scher runs 5 letters (CCCVC) against schwor's 6 (CCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: scher vs schwor
A purely visual mix-up. scher ([ʃeːɐ̯]) and schwor ([ʃvoːɐ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76207, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scher is recorded at frequency rank #36,007, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃeːɐ̯]. schwor is at rank #40,200, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃvoːɐ̯].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 76207, this pair ranks #289,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of scher vs schwor
Shared letters: chrs. Private to "scher": e. Private to "schwor": ow.
"scher" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "schwor" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scher" and "schwor" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "scher" or "schwor" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "scher" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwor" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #289,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scher" and "schwor" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schwaz vs schwor". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #289,326 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.